Nothing Else
by sodalicious
Summary: What draws two people together and what pulls them apart? Akane can't figure out what she feels for a certain pigtailed martial artist and decides to try the Secret Saotome Technique.


AN: This is my first Ranma fanfiction. A one-shot. It's a slightly dramatized ending of the Ranma and Akane saga, something that I've been meaning to write for a long time. Though this may not be an accurate ending, it's something that I like to envision. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Especially after you read the dialogue between Ranma and Akane. Comments, critiques, even flames are welcome.

* * *

It was quiet, unnaturally quiet.

But to Ranma, his rapid heartbeat thundered in his head, reverberating through his body down to his numb feet. He grimaced, and his feet felt like they were submerged in ice cold water, freezing and clammy. His equally cold hands shook slightly before he wiped his sweaty palms on the sides of his pants. Feeling both lightheaded and floored, he was tempted to calmly walk into the audience and take a seat for himself, especially since he felt his legs were about to fall off under him.

A cough in the audience served enough of an interruption to bring Ranma back to Earth. Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten, ignoring Nabiki's calculated stare a few feet away. Ryouga, standing next to him, was no help since he appeared as high strung as Ranma, himself.

Ranma willed his hands and feet to warm up. Shaking his body a bit to loosen up, he decided to think about other things – things that made him happy, things that always calmed him down, the very same things that he thought of at night on the roof, above her bedroom, staring into the sea of stars above.

Her first smile. Their first fight. The first time she smacked him. The first time he called her cute. The first time he made her cry. The first time he saved her. The first time she bandaged his nose. The first time she forgot his name. The first time she hugged him. The first time they held hands.

So many firsts to remember.

He didn't know how they reached this point, but it had taken forever and a year to get here. The first time they met as fiancés, he thought of her as a spoiled, if slightly demented, brat with a temper to rival a cat. And he abhorred cats. However, somewhere along the way, some time in the midst of their fights and interludes, he started to favor her. He wanted her by his side always, and no one else. She became his, his to touch, his to save, his to claim, his to protect.

He couldn't figure out what exactly drew him to her. Perhaps it was the fact that her life did not revolve around him, unlike his other two fiancés. She had other friends, a high school life, goals, and motivations that did not necessarily include him. And that bugged him. She was slowly becoming his every waking thought and even seeping into his dreams every night. Why didn't he have the same effect on her? Who did she dream of at night? And during those rare moments when she daydreamed in class, was it him who occupied her hazy mind and wistful eyes?

Though half of him wanted to run out the door and never look back, he knew that the moment he would take one step out the church, he will regret it for the rest of his life. And he had made enough mistakes in the past few years to last three lifetimes, he wasn't about to make one that would go down in history as the worst of mankind. Besides, he feared nothing, much less a slip of a girl who could make his world spin in the opposite direction, both literally and figuratively. He gulped, forcefully swallowing.

A deep red blush bloomed on his face for everyone to see, and he quickly looked down at his feet. Sure, they were wonderful memories, memories he wouldn't trade for the world. However, they seemed insignificant or weak compared to the memory of last night. A night he thought would never happen, a night he still couldn't believe actually did happen.

His blush spread to the tip of his ears as he recalled the way her short breaths ran over his ear as he buried his face into her slim neck. He licked his lips wondering if the taste of her salty skin still perhaps lingered on his mouth. The tip of his nose tingled at the memory of her scent, her lilac shampoo mixed with sweat and the scent of something that had him on a high that not even roofing-hopping could accomplish. His shoulder blades twitched as if feeling her nails raking down his back, not so deep as to draw blood, but enough to feel her urgency, her intensity, which only served to heighten his own awareness and desires. With a sudden burst of need, his impetus increased as her moans grew louder, her hot breath and husky voice incessantly whispering his name in a way that spread goose bumps all over his arms at the mere memory. And he felt naked, cold even, without her arms and legs wrapped around him, tightly and securely. He fisted his hands as his longing to stroke her shoulder, her arm, her hip, her thigh, grew by the minute.

If they only knew the thoughts that were running through his mind, Ranma thought as he smirked at the audience, and at church of all places! Unknown to him, a roguish, even some might dare say, sexy grin spread across his face as he thought of the night to come, and the whole month of nights (and days!) following. Suddenly, he was no longer twitching and shaking out of nervousness or anxiety, but from impatience and fervor.

Lightly, quietly, he whispered, "I need..." Unable to finish his thought or sentence, he looked away from the tall doors of the church. Ryouga glanced at him with an odd, questioning look, which Ranma ignored.

Where was she?

What could possibly be taking this long?

* * *

Akane stared at herself in the mirror.

She couldn't remember why she was here. What had motivated her to wear this extravagant, white mass of lace, satin, ribbons and roses? She fingered her veil, cascading from an arrangement of white roses piled on top of her dark, blue hair. Her hair was loose as usual, too short to actually fancy up. She recalled the day she lost her waist long ponytail, and a bittersweet smile slowly occupied her otherwise forlorn expression. But he had said she was cute with short hair. Her heart had cracked, remembering that her mother had short hair, and everyone had always commented the similarities between her and her mother. Kasumi was softly humming beside her, lightly smoothing unnoticeable creases on Akane's dress. Kasumi had beautiful long hair, and the folks still said she was a lot like mother. So, who looked more like mother? Kasumi or Akane?

She wondered, if she kept her hair short, would Ranma feel the same for her, the way her father obviously had felt for her mother?

For one incoherent moment, she worried perhaps it was misleading or wrong to wear white, since after all, last night... She blushed, avoiding her own eyes in the mirror. She had no idea how they ended up in her bedroom. They had been sparring in the dojo. Something to pass the time since no one was in the house at the time. Their fathers went out with other men in the area for a drink in celebration for someone else's wedding. Nabiki had gone off for a one night stay at a spa and massage parlor at a hotel that she had "mysteriously" won from a lottery-stand. Kasumi went with Nabiki, her first trip in years.

The house had been eerily quiet, and the night air was incredibly thick, as if time stood still only in the Tendo Dojo. Perhaps it had. To fight the discomfort and silence, the two agreed to spar in order to loosen their tense muscles. In the middle of punches and kicks, she tripped, as per usual, and though he didn't slip himself under her to block her fall like the fairytales would tell, he parried her fall and wrapped his arms around her waist, loosely at first. And when she directed her wide eyes to his, breathing heavily, he tightened his hold, and her world was turned upside down.

She never would've imagined his lips were so warm, so soft, and so sensuous. His lips that had cruelly and harshly criticized her in the past were slowly moving over hers, as if to mold their lips together. His oh so cruel lips teased and bruised her lips to the point of being swollen, and he didn't stop. In fact, he didn't stop until the next morning. His rough and unimaginably strong hands were everywhere, grabbing the collar of her shirt to access her bare shoulder, slipping under her skirt to massage her thigh, weaving through her hair to arch her head back and run his lips across the pulse on her neck, running down her waist as if to memorize her curves. Her head spun in this delicious, sweet confusion.

Her cautious and hesitant, yet increasing responses seemed to encourage him more and soon she found herself pressed up against the dojo wall. And when he whispered her name softly and darkly in her ear, his hands still running up and down her body, she knew. She knew nothing in the world could stop them now from finishing what had been a long time coming. She answered him with a call of her own and before she had even finished saying his name, they were already in her room, falling onto her bed.

Kasumi interrupted her thoughts, inquiring about Akane's suddenly incredibly red face. Akane shook herself from the memory and looked at her tomato red reflection in the mirror, before looking away. Mumbling something, she hoped Kasumi would move on and blame it on nerves.

She couldn't begin to describe how incredible the feeling was, having Ranma's weight comfortably on top of her, feeling his breath travel down her neck, across her shoulder, his guidance and consistency the only things keeping her from losing herself.

However, now, without Ranma's intoxicating presence, doubt and regret slowly seeped in her thoughts. What it if was too soon? Should she have waited at least until after the wedding? Then again, four years living under the same roof, spending every waking moment together, was a very long time. But why did it happen so suddenly? How did it happen so suddenly?

What were they going to do after the wedding?

Well, Akane thought as she blushed, it was pretty obvious what they were going to do right after the wedding. But, what about after the glamour and passion died out? Would this newfound passion and desire die out? Cold dread washed over her at the thought, and she bit her lips in distress. Would she be able to sleep alone in her bed at night knowing Ranma could be with her warming the room? She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. For sixteen years before Ranma and four years after, she was able to comfortably and happily sleep in her bed alone. One night with Ranma shouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't, change that.

Where did this need come from? Had she always felt it and merely denied it all along? Was this the need that Shampoo and Ukyou were so familiar with? If so, Akane didn't want to feel it. She did not wish to be like the girls who fawned over every swing of his pigtail to his cheeky grin. She prided herself in being at least more immune to his charm, oblivious to him, than other female nitwits. But alas, she was the first to give herself... or was she the first he chose to take and give himself to? She couldn't tell anymore.

Who lost the war?

Her grip on her bouquet tightened. Certainly not her... Not yet, anyway. She wasn't about to be tied down to a man who couldn't even utter one nice word to her, who didn't even have the decency to formally propose to her, who hadn't even asked her what she wanted in life. She was crazy to think he was hers; even crazier was she to think she was his.

Lightly, quietly, she whispered, "I want..." But, the reflection staring back at her scared her, rendering her incapable of finishing her sentence. Kasumi looked at her with inquisitive eyes.

Still gripping the bouquet in one hand, Akane pulled down on her veil with the other hand, the arrangements of glistening white roses tumbling to her feet. Ignoring Kasumi's startled cries, Akane bunched up the layers of white cloth and satin of her dress. She kicked off her delicate white high heels, and ran out the door, not looking back once.

The trail of white rose petals was swept away by the uncaring wind.

* * *

In the four years that he stayed in the Tendo Dojo, Ranma never heard Kasumi raise her voice, never saw one strand of hair out of place, and never felt anything but peace radiating from her ki. So, to say he was surprised to see a frazzled Kasumi burst through the church doors unexpectedly, would be a major understatement, both on his part and hers.

Everyone stared at the eldest Tendo daughter, especially since they had all expected Akane in her glory to appear in the doorway, not her sister. The murmurs and whispers rose among the attendants of the wedding, and the cold autumn wind that snuck in from the opened doors carried the words straight to Ranma. All at once, people began to speak out loud, the Tendo patriarch inquiring for the whereabouts of his youngest daughter, and Nabiki with nothing more than a surprised squeak. Ryouga, Moose, Ukyou, and Shampoo remained silent, too occupied with their own demons.

All eyes on her, Kasumi half ran, half walked to Ranma, her eyes never leaving his face. As he took in her appearance and emotions, Ranma couldn't stop the dull ache growing in his chest, the dread settling in his gut. He clenched and unclench his fists. His jaw tightened to refrain from crying out as Kasumi approached him.

With wide, alarmed eyes, he held out his arms to catch a stumbling Kasumi as she fell to her knees.

Grabbing his face so that the two were the only people in the church, she carefully looked into his troubled eyes. Trying to coherently form her words into a sentence that will most likely sweep the world from under his feet, she didn't notice the tears forming in her eyes. But, Ranma did.

Slowly, wiping the tears from her face, Ranma gently held Kasumi up and asked, "Kasumi, where –"

* * *

"—does this train go?" Akane asked for the third time. The train conductor merely stared, speechless, at this young, frail, and undoubtedly attractive girl in a large glamorous wedding dress. The pale white of her gown contrasted sharply with the black, industrial, construction of the train behind her, attracting the eyes of all the passengers in the train, and the people on the platform. Her dress seemed to suck all the colors from her surroundings, leaving the rest of world a dull gray. Standing in the middle of the platform, the two stared at each other for a few minutes, him trying to process his vision, and her trying to process her thoughts.

Everything had happened so fast. She didn't think she'd arrive to the station so soon. She supposed all those years of literally chasing Ranma with a mallet helped build her speed. Shaking her mind off of Ranma, she desperately looked around the platform for a different source of information since the man in front of her seemed incapable of speech, much less blinking.

For a brief moment, she turned to look at the road that led to the main streets of Nerima and eventually back to the church. Did Ranma know she was gone? Did he care? Was he angry with her? Absurdly, she feared his reaction. Ranma was a relatively calm person; his emotions rarely ran deep or intensely, unless it concerned her, which was why she had every reason to fear him, if he ever caught up to her. A light frown flitted across her face as she contemplated her future. Where could she go? Who could she run to?

If she got on this train, wherever it led to, she'd be alone. The notion scared her, yet she didn't deny the excitement that grew with every passing minute. And suddenly, regardless of where this train went, she couldn't wait to get on.

She ran to an old business man about to board the train and grabbed his arm. When she asked him for the destination of the train, he smiled at her kindly, the wrinkles of his eyes telling her of a life well lived, and answered, "Ryugenzawa."

* * *

It wasn't difficult to follow her tracks. After all, a girl in a wedding gown didn't exactly run across town everyday. That, and Ranma's incredible ability to run like the wind had him a few minutes behind Akane.

And he was mad, very. He was very mad.

He couldn't believe she stood him up, at the altar, no less. What right, what sane state of mind, did she have to leave him hanging without an answer? Without a reason, any excuse? Hell, he would've taken anything. "Sorry, Ranma, I broke a nail so we can't marry today. Maybe in ten years, I'll see you then," would have been just fine. But, to leave without a word, without reason, that was simply unacceptable.

He skidded to a stop at the platform of a train station. The train docked by the platform let out a resounding whistle, and it launched into motion, the rhythmic clanking of the wheels gradually picking up its pace. A train conductor stood on the side, seemingly dazed, and Ranma ran up to him.

"Have you seen a girl, about this high, and in a white wedding dress?" Ranma asked, if a bit rushed. He frowned at the lack of response for a few minutes. Resisting the urge to strangle the man, he turned towards the people on the platform. Running to the closest person, he asked the same question. The startled victim merely pointed to the speeding train.

Without a thank you, Ranma turned towards the train, the last train car still in sight moving down the platform. Ranma cried out her name and ran. He ran faster and faster, thinking of nothing but how his whole world was about to move on without him on a speeding train. His legs were mechanically running, swiftly, leap after leap, and his heart was burning, his head pounding. He feared his lungs would burst as he tried to even out this breathing, just as he was trained.

People gasped and watched the young man reach out to grab a metal handle on the train, fearing for his life. Several watchers cried out when he leaped off the platform to land on the open space in the back of the train. As the young man, dressed in a dashing tuxedo, momentarily collapsed to his knees on the train trying to catch his breath, people cheered and wished him good luck.

Ranma calmly, albeit shakily, stood up and opened the door to enter the train car, determination burning behind his eyes.

* * *

Akane Tendo stared at the passing scenery, the world just a blur of colors. Thirty minutes ago, at one in the afternoon, she would've been Tendo no more, but a Saotome. Akane Saotome. Saotome, Akane. Dazed, she glanced at her translucent reflection on the train window. The girl in the window looked lost, flickering and wavering as if on the verge of vanishing at any moment. Her silhouette shifted slightly, turning away from the window. Akane had the silly urge to talk to this girl, this girl who would disappear without a trace, without a conclusion. But that would mean talking to herself, and she wasn't ready to enter that stage...yet.

The streets and houses slowly began to lower in number as the more rural areas and groves became frequent. Less street lights aligned the roads, and more trees obscured her vision. Endless stream of green leaves brushed the windows of the trains, trying to hold on, trying to hold back, like loose fingers powerless but to touch its longing. The forest enveloped the train, devouring the people looking for an escape from the lives they left at the train station. And the trees shivered with glee, dancing with the breeze in their perpetual victory over man's will as the train disappeared into the jungle.

Unable to stare at the misty green abyss of the forest any longer, Akane shook briefly and turned away from the window. Feeling the presence of a body beside her, she turned to discourage the seated passenger, and got lost in the misty blue abyss of her fiance's eyes.

* * *

"How? What? What are you doing here?"

"Funny, I was gonna ask you the very same thing."

"I'm... leaving."

"I can see that."

"I'm sorry."

"I know, and I believe you."

"How?"

"I ran."

"No, how can you believe?"

"There's no reason why I shouldn't."

"You're not angry."

"Not anymore."

"Will you... Are you going to follow me?"

"Yes, but you already knew that."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You don't have to."

"...I want to."

"For what?"

"For us."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"I...I'm tired, Ranma."

"I'll carry you."

"Where?"

"Anywhere."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Do you... So, it's just me and you?"

"You and me."

"Nobody else?"

"Just me and you."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Why, Ranma? Why?"

"Akane, I... I... Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Why, Akane?"

"...Why not?"

"There's still time."

"I know."

"You don't have to go back."

Akane smiled at the wondrous young man intently holding her eyes with his. She felt his patience, his understanding, his insecurities, and his sacrifice. Sitting clearly an inch away, low in his seat, he didn't look as empowering as the night before when he seemed to meld their bodies together, giving no space for air, just bare skin on bare skin. Goosebumps traveled down her bare arms. Rubbing them briskly, she leaned over the one inch that separated her from the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she whispered softly, brushing her lips against his ear, "I need to."

* * *

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the face of this company, to join together Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo in holy matrimony; which is an honorable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly. Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any one can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"I do." Soun never sounded so proud, as he stood next to his radiant daughter.

"Ranma Saotome, do you take Akane Tendo for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"Yeah, I guess I do." Ranma grinned harmlessly and winked at his wife-to-be.

"Akane Tendo, do you take Ranma Saotome for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"Why not?" Akane smiled impishly at her husband-to-be.

"...And so, by the power vested in me by the Province of Nerima, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Soun cut in between the two newlyweds with a cry. He looked apologetically at the celebrant and somewhat sheepishly said, "Well, they haven't gone that far yet. Let's let them do that on their own comfortable time." He couldn't rid the image of Ranma flying out the church with Akane's cry of "Pervert!" from his mind. The entire audience seemed to nod in agreement, while the newlyweds stared speechless at Soun Tendo as he slipped away into the background again.

Laughing, the two young lovers linked arms and faced the crowd.

"It is my privilege to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ranma Saotome."


End file.
